Biography

Birth and early life

World War II Service

On 8 February 1943, she enlisted in the Australian Army, Citizen Military Forces[2] and was allocated the service number SF113003[3]. She operated searchlights and made a number of life-long friends. She met Bill Harvey and they married on 10 September 1945[4], and she was discharged shortly after on 8 November.

Family

Bill and Lenore moved to Western Australia. By 1949 they had three children, all boys and were living a few houses from Bill’s parents in Mount Hawthorne[5].

By 1954, they are living in Karri Hill Road, Northcliffe[6], a small south-west township. This is one of several Western Australian locations for post-WWII soldier settlement scheme tobacco farming. Bill and Lenore spoke of running a tobacco farm for a short time, the scheme was not successful. This is likely the place and time of this family story because Bill has listed his occupation as farmer. (References needed for WWII soldier settlement scheme and government-sponsored tobacco farms). They now had five children, three boys followed by two girls. In 1958 they were living in the nearby town of Manjimup, Bill had returned to being a radio mechanic, and they had another girl.

By 1963 they were homeowners in High Wycombe[7], a new subdivision in the foothills of Perth. High Wycombe was a considerable distance away from the Perth CBD and surrounded by bushlands, more of a village than a suburb. They had the last two of their eight children, both girls, and the eldest boy was now sixteen years old. He would leave shortly after to join the Australian Airforce.

Lenore and the family were able to settle there for many years appearing on the electoral rolls in 1968[8]1972[9], and 1977[10]. Bill worked away more often than locally, both within and outside of Australia, in 1963 he appears both in High Wycombe and in Carnarvon and not at all in 1968. This left Lenore to care for their many children alone.

Later life

By late 1970’s Bill’s health had deteriorated due to a neck injury he sustained at work some years before (he fell down the hold of a ship). They moved to Mount Magnet where they lived in a caravan and Bill pursued his hobby, prospecting in the tailings of old gold mines[11]. In 1988 he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stomach cancer and died on 4 November of the same year and is buried in Karrakatta Cemetery[12].

Lenore lived independently for most of the next twenty-eight years, staying with her children from time-to-time. She died on 26 September 2016[13]. She is not buried with Bill because the grant for his plot had expired, she was cremated instead. She was survived by seven of her eight children, fourteen grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.

Lenore (Henderson) Harvey served in the Australian Army in World War II
Enlisted: 08 02 1943
Regiment/Unit: Citizen Military Forces
Discharged: 08 11 1945

Lenore (Henderson) Harvey is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Australian Citizen Military Forces
as a searchlight operator in Australia